50th Reunion

46 Monroe Diefendorf .jpg
Since our 45th Reunion Book Evelyn and I have played a lot of golf in Pinehurst, have travelled extensively, and have been very active in community activities. But enough of that.

Some years ago a friend of mine told me that the automobile is much like the human body when it comes to longevity. Each 1,000 miles on a car is equal to one year of life. During the first few thousand miles the car has a few bugs which require minor adjustments and during the early  years  of life we seem to live through the usual childhood diseases but nothing too disastrous usually happens.

Our car purrs pretty smoothly until its run 50,000 miles. And then, we need new tires, the muffler rusts out so we go to Midas, and the brakes need relining. Meanwhile the body is developing its own problems - a back pain, the sciatica becomes inflamed, we get a tennis elbow, but nothing too major occurs. We are also learning that the better we care for our car the longer it lasts and the same for our body.

When the car has 70,000 miles major repairs begin - the pipes get rusty, the engine requires an overhaul and an axle has to be replaced. And yes, the car may have to be replaced and the old model is sent to a car “organ replacement” junk yard. Most of us now have 70,000 miles on our bodies and already we’ve been in the body shop hospital) a few times. We may have had our motor repaired with a triple bypass, the rust has been removed from our tubes via angioplasty and a knee has been replaced.

What we are now faced with is what are we going to do with our lives while hopefully we still have some mileage remaining on the old machine.

Here are some of my thoughts.

  1. Maintain a good sense of humor.
  2. Stay in shape - exercise.
  3. Do it today -don't procrastinate.
  4. Be charitable - be generous.
  5. Be a good listener, particularly with young folks.
  6. Read - keep your mind active.
  7. Don't live in the past, live in the present and prepare for the future.
  8. Think more about others and less about yourself.
  9. Older people can become quite negative, stay positive. Think about what’s good!
  10. Keep old friends, but always make new ones.

Be thankful for your first 70,000 miles, be thankful for your wife, your family, your successes, your friends, your opportunity to do good and your opportunity to affect many lives in a very positive way in the years ahead.

                                                                See you at the 50th,
                                                                [Give me a goodreport]